Chapter 37
When Marcus was 16, he had already been accepted by Walton, one of the world’s top three business schools. He was also the heir to the Hamertons. If not for the conspiracy and the plane crash he had been involved in, he would have been the one to take the reins of the Hamerton empire by now.
Marcus only smiled quietly in response to Cordelia’s questioning gaze.
The girl pouted, wondering if Marcus had met someone back then, a girl he didn’t end up with. People often said that men couldn’t forget their first love. He seemed so eager when bringing up the topic but abruptly stopped, clearly not wanting to share any more.
Cordelia’s eyes dimmed with disappointment. Since he didn’t want to tell her, she decided not to ask further. But the silence left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She quietly returned to the bedroom, preparing new sheets, and even getting another set for the couch in the living room.
Marcus was stunned for a moment, realizing something was wrong. He quickly grabbed her wrist. “You… Why are you setting the sheets on the couch again?”
“What’s wrong with that?” Cordelia turned and met his gaze.
“Everything!” Marcus fought to keep his voice calm. “Didn’t you say I’m sleeping in the room tonight? Aren’t you going to… with me…?”
“My cousin’s beaten up, and you’re thinking about that?” Cordelia glared at him, her frustration showing. Her attitude shifted quickly, fueled by both her anger and her lingering disappointment about Marcus’s past. “Carter can’t go home tonight. Who’s going to take care of him if I don’t?”
Marcus didn’t fully understand what was going through Cordelia’s mind, only that her attitude had turned cold far too quickly.
“He’s staying the night? Is the couch for him?” he asked, still confused.
“For me,” Cordelia said flatly, unbothered.
“What did you say?” Marcus widened his eyes. “You’re not asking me to—”
“Yeah,” Cordelia cut him off with a deadpan look. “You and Carter can take the room. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“There’s only one bed in the room!”
“It’s fine. You two will fit,” she said, pushing a pillow toward him. “You can even talk about ‘things that only men talk about.’”
Marcus was left speechless by her retort and let out a few deep breaths to calm himself.
While he was still in a daze, Cordelia had already gone to get Carter from the balcony and asked him to rest in the room after he washed up.
Carter, surprisingly, agreed and went straight to the bedroom to sleep. Marcus felt his temples throb at the absurdity of it all. He forced himself into the room, lying down on the other side of the bed. This was the first time he was in the bedroom bed since they’d gotten married, and yet the person next to him wasn’t Cordelia, but a man!
He let out a long sigh. The hour he had spent in the bathroom felt completely wasted.
Carter, unable to sleep, sat up after a while and turned to Marcus. “Bro, don’t you think I’m kind of useless? I keep getting bullied.”
Carter was a kind and diligent student, but his self-esteem was low due to his family background. He had been scared the first time he met Marcus, but after Marcus spoke to him calmly on the balcony, even planning to avenge him, Carter had realized that the cold, stern man was actually someone dependable.
“You’re right, Marcus,” he said softly. “One should be independent and strong—especially men. I’m going to learn from you so I can protect Cordelia and my family in the future.”
Marcus kept his back to him, not saying a word.
“Marcus, why aren’t you saying anything?” Carter asked, glancing over at him. “Are you not used to it because my sister isn’t beside you?”
Duh!
Marcus inwardly harrumphed but forced out a soft, “No.”
“Oh, that’s good then,” Carter chuckled. “I’m…”